Advice required from those who live in very dusty places

I don't have any hands-on experience, but I wouldn't let it sit on the paint if I could avoid it. But water doesn't seem to be the best option.

"Unlike the ash that forms from burning wood or other combustible [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion"][/ame]materials, volcanic ash is hard and abrasive. It does not dissolve in water, and it conducts electricity, especially when it is wet... If rain accompanies an ashfall, the tiny particles turn into a slurry of slippery mud."

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_ash"]Volcanic ash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

When St. Helens went off (1980) they told us not to drive.

 

Volcanic ash is completely different than desert dust. It's best not to run the car at all

 

Volcanic and desert dust can wreak havoc on engines. When we get trapped in dust storms here and have to drive, the recommendation is to change both air and oil filters ASAP. Also consider that you have a cabin air filter too. Take Jayman's advice and not run your car - wait it out.

 

Waiting it out may be hard for a cabbie... but I guess there aren't too many people going to the airport today in the UK?

 

Here's a tip for washing your car if it gets covered with ash.
Use large volume low pressure water to flush it off.
Never start with a wash mitt or high pressure water. It will ruin your paint in a heart beat.
Do not drive it through a car wash that uses brushes or the hang down strips of stuff.

 

Volcanic ash is different from regular dust. It can be very, very fine so that it sneaks into things. Once in it is abrasive on moving parts and corrosive on non-moving parts. I used to have a microwave oven that survived Mount Pinatubo. A year or so later it died, turned out that there was ash all inside it and the ash ate something. The ash may just go by overhead and not come down low enough to bother you, I don't know. If it comes down you'll know it.

I recall reading about people who survived Mount Saint Helens. They had to use their headlights in the daytime and people wound up adding all sorts of crazy homemade air filters to their cars so the dust wouldn't kill the engines. It is unlikely it will get that bad where you are. Some things you can do if it starts to get thick:

* Store the car indoors or under a tarp when you are not using it.

*Wash off the ash periodically.

*Vacuum the inside of the car.

*Look into adding on more filters or changing the existing ones frequently. Particularly consider anything that works well with very fine dust.

On the good side, the stuff is great for gardening and makes for good sunsets too.